We’re not even through the first month of 2018 yet and Nintendo may have already revealed the coolest tablet gaming accessory of the year. With the announcement of their upcoming Nintendo Labo DIY kits, this will be a tough act to follow.

Nintendo is known for being creative, innovative and in some cases just plain bizarre. But hey, that’s what we’ve grown to love about the company throughout the years. You just never know what they’re going to come out with next.

If you haven’t yet heard about Nintendo Labo, check out the first look trailer below.

To be honest, during the first portion of the video I was scratching my head and wondering if this was some type of joke or something. Then it all started to make sense and I began thinking “WOW this is actually quite brilliant”!

Touting Nintendo Labo kits as potentially the coolest tablet accessory of 2018 may seem a bit premature being that we haven’t even entered February yet. However, here’s why I love it so much! In my opinion, Nintendo has really thought outside of the cardboard box with this one! Not only is it a fun add-on for the Nintendo Switch, it could also be one of the most innovative and best STEM toys for kids in 2018.

With gaming consoles and technology advancing so fast, there’s a lot to be said for taking things down a notch and bringing us back to basics. Having a 3-month old daughter I often fear that by the time she’s a teenager we might all be mechanically modified to become half human and half machine. Well okay, things may not become that extreme, but with concepts like Nintendo Labo I admit that it does restore a bit of my hope in humanity’s future. As much as I love technology and gaming, I also greatly appreciate the simple things and experiences that can help with a child’s early learning and basic developmental growth.

Some people might argue that Nintendo Labo kits are just overpriced and glorified pieces of cardboard. However, I disagree. In my opinion you can’t put a price on the benefits of teaching your child how to assemble things and encouraging them to use their imaginations.

There are currently two different Nintendo Labo Toy-Con kits soon to be available for the Switch console including the Variety Kit for $69.99 and Robot Kit for $79.99. Both are now available for pre-order and will launch on April 20, 2018.

What’s your take on Nintendo Labo kits? Will they just be a short lived fad or can you see something like this becoming widely popular?